List of Famous people who died in 2008

Arkady Shalvovich "Badri" Patarkatsishvili was a Jewish-Georgian businessman who also became extensively involved in politics. He contested the 2008 Georgian presidential election and came third with 7.1% of the votes. From the early 1980s, until the time of his death, he was a flamboyant figure in business and was behind some of the most successful companies in today's Russia. From humble origins, he became the wealthiest citizen in Georgia with an estimated wealth of $12bn. He was also one of the country's largest philanthropists.

Vivian Shun-wen Wu, born in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, was a prominent Taiwanese businesswoman. She was the former chairwoman of Yulon Motor, a Taiwan-based automaker which is known for building Nissan-brand automobiles. Wu also served as the chairwoman of Tai Yuen Textile, a textile producer, and China Motor, another automaker partly owned by Mitsubishi Motors.

Raghuvaran Velayutham was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in films made in South India. He has acted in more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.According to the Hindustan Times, "The actor had carved a niche for himself with his special style and voice modulation."

Harry Christopher "Skip" Caray Jr. was an American sportscaster, best known for his long career as a radio and television play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. He was the son of baseball announcer Harry Caray, and the father of fellow Braves broadcaster Chip Caray; another son, Josh Caray, is a reporter for All News 106.7.

Paul Raymond, born Geoffrey Anthony Quinn, was an English strip-club owner, publisher of pornography and property developer who was dubbed the "King of Soho".

Alvin Charles "Al" Copeland was an American entrepreneur who created the Popeyes fast food chain. He was also a successful restaurateur who created many successful upscale restaurants.

Brian George Wilde was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, most notably Mr Barrowclough in Porridge and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in Last of the Summer Wine. His lugubrious world-weary face was a staple of British television for forty years.

Ronald Leavitt was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator of the American television show Married... with Children. The show's 259 episodes over 11 seasons made it the second-longest lasting sitcom on the Fox network.

Xie Jin was a Chinese film director. He rose to prominence in 1957, directing the film Woman Basketball Player No. 5, and is considered one of the Third Generation directors of China. Most recently he was known for the direction of The Opium War.

Gennady Nikolayevich Troshev was a Russian Colonel General in the Russian military and formerly the commander of the North Caucasus Military District, including Chechnya, during the Second Chechen War. He was awarded a Hero of Russia award.